‘True Detective’ Creator Teases New ‘Psychology’ of Season 2; Posters Released

It’s safe to say that the second season of HBO’s True Detective– set to premiere this Summer – is already feeling the pressure of lofty expectations. Following what many believe to be one of the best seasons of television in recent memory, the follow-up season – featuring lead performances from Rachel McAdams, Vince Vaughn, Taylor Kitsch and Colin Farrell – looks to not only be a worthy successor to its freshman run, but almost an entirely different story altogether.

While the first teaser for the new season kept the same tone of the first, the kind of horror/religious imagery of the debut season was surprisingly absent. Although, with the change of setting going from the swamps of Louisiana to the underground of Los Angeles – a change in tone was bound to happen.

Today, HBO has unveiled four new character posters for the upcoming season: one for each of the four leads. The posters keep the same “We Get the World We Deserve” tagline from the previously released motion posters, and unlike most character posters for movies or other TV shows, the actors faces aren’t heavily featured this time. In fact, they aren’t featured at all.

Check them out below:

Along with the posters, creator Nic Pizzolatto also released some new details to Medium, teasing what will and will not be featured in the show’s follow-up outing:

“The gothic horror suggested by Louisiana’s coastal landscape didn’t feel appropriate in this place. These new landscapes have their own unique voice and their own unsettling qualities. While there’s nothing occult in this season, I think there’s a disconcerting psychology to this world, and its characters have other kinds of uncanny reality with which to contend.”

Whether or not this new season of True Detective will live up to its hype is unknown for the time being. When the series premiered back at the beginning of 2014, audiences had never seen anything quite like it. From the dialogue, characters, atmosphere, and movie stars like Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson giving award-worthy performances, it’s no surprise it became something of a phenomenon – which could end up both a blessing and a curse in the long run.

Pizzolatto is taking an interesting and different approach to this new season, and it sounds like a story he wants to tell just as much – if not more – than the first. The out-of-the-box casting decisions and more crime-driven narrative than the first might just be what ends up elevating this season, or dragging it down. Only time will tell.

The new season of True Detective is set to premiere on HBO on Sunday, June 21st at 9PM EST.